Curious (Re-written)
by Wacky Dragon
Summary: Xellos is ordered to kill Lina Inverse. Will he do it? Will foreign emotions surface? (This is probably one of many X/L stories, but please read and review!)


Curious  
  
  
Xelloss's Point of View  
  
I blinked in shock, staring at Beastmaster Zellas.  
  
"What are you so surprised about?" she asked me, frowning.  
  
"...nothing really. I just find it...strange that you want to get rid of Lina Inverse." I responded slowly, staring at her.   
  
Why? Why did Zellas want Lina dead? That was my only question. However, I dared not ask it.  
  
"She's becoming a threat. That's all." she said carelessly  
  
"What about Lina's sister? Isn't she going to be angry?" I asked, suddenly feeling desperate...how strange!   
  
"I'll take care of the Knight of Ceifeed! Now go already," Zellas said, smiling at me with a cat-like smirk. "Xelloss, are you hesitant to KILL?"   
  
"No!" I said in reflex, however, I felt my lips twitch...oh..how...strange, indeed....  
  
"I understand that she is your "companion". After all, you've been through a lot...and if you don't want to do the job, I'll just send someone else..." Zellas said carelessly.  
  
"No, I can take care of it," I said, turning away. I am a Mazoku. A Priest. A General. "Easily." I added before teleporting away.  
  
  
  
Lina's Point of View  
  
"Gods, I am so bored!" I groaned to myself as I stretched my arms in the air. I stared into the fire, seeing the flames flicker here and there...My thoughts went to my friends...that were no longer travelling with me.  
  
Zelgadiss went his own way...I haven't seen him since. That moron! He looks fine as a chimera!   
  
"He is so vain! All he cares about is physical looks! He acts like a girl for gods' sake!" I thought and frowned.   
  
Amelia was at her Palace, writing scrolls of peace to the other kingdoms...that idiot girl! The least she could have done was WRITE a letter to her!  
  
Filia was busy taking care of Valgaav---rather, Valteria. She named him differently.  
  
"Now that I think about it...Valteria sounds like its for a girl," I laughed quietly to myself.  
  
Gourry...well, he's gone. He went back to the purple-haired Priestess of his. Shyphiel. They make a cute couple! I thought I loved Gourry---man, WHAT was I thinking?! He's like a big stupid brother to me, that's all.  
  
Anyway, Lina found out that she was going to live for a VERY long time due to her mastering in Black Magic.  
  
And Xelloss...well...I...haven't talked to him in a while...that...*sniff* that..that MORON! IDIOT! BAKA! JACK@$$!   
  
I stopped cursing...for the while.  
  
"I guess TIME makes the heart grow fonder..." I thought and quickly shook my head. Why am I even thinking about that trouble-loving mazoku?   
  
"Hello, Lina!"   
  
"Waaaah!" I screamed in surprise and fell backwards off the log I was sitting upon.  
  
Normal Narration  
  
Xelloss caught Lina before she hit the ground.  
  
"X-Xelloss!" Lina scrambled away, standing up.  
  
"Long time, no see!" Xelloss remarked, standing up and---  
  
"And that's all YOUR fault! You never come visit me anymore!!" Lina whacked him with the near by stick she picked off the ground. "Just because no demons are trying to kill me, you don't come! You jerk!" she whacked him with every word.  
  
"Gomen! Gomen gomen gomen!!" Xelloss exclaimed, smiling with a large sweat-drop rolling down his head.  
  
Lina stopped, glaring at Xelloss.  
  
"So...what have you been doing these past few months?" Xelloss asked. He blinked, realizing it HAS been a long time since he visited her...he felt guilt pang through him and he also felt...regret. He found both thosr feelings very curious.  
  
"Well...just blasting a few bandits around, stashing some gold...you know, the usual." she replied carelessly. He smiled at that.  
  
"Anyway, where the hell have you been?" Lina asked, plopping herself down on the log.  
  
"Oh...around. Killing a few troublesome, useless demons here and there, that's all." Xelloss responded, standing behind her.  
  
"Spending your time productively I see." Lina said sarcastically.  
  
"Just as you have." Xelloss remarked.  
  
They both laughed at that.  
  
He slowly stopped laughing as he took out a silver-gleaming dagger. He stared down at her. Her lovely red fiery hair was highlighted by the fire...her flawless skin glowed and---  
  
~Enough! What are you doing? Thinking about such things...about Lina!~ he thought, horrified. ~I'm supposed to kill her! NOW!~  
  
He was able to cause death-attracting trouble for her countless times before. Why...was killing her so difficult now?   
  
"Hey, Xelloss, why are you here anyway---" Lina turned her head around to face him, but as she looked over her shoulder she saw the silver dagger. Her words got caught up in her throat. Her eyes widened.  
  
~He...he's going to...to kill me!!~ Lina thought, terrified...however, she felt hurt...yes..hurt...betrayed...  
  
Lina stood up, jumped over the small fire and backed away from Xelloss, who stared at her with closed-crescent eyes.  
  
"...I suppose you know why I am here now?" Xelloss asked.  
  
Lina glared, "Yeah...I'm getting a pretty good idea."   
  
~Should I run for it...?~ Lina asked herself. But...her feet...they wouldn't move. She wanted to blast Xelloss into a pile of dust...but...she...just...couldn't...  
  
~Why?~ Lina thought despairingly, hoping for her magic to come at her fingertips and blast him away. ~Why can't I...kill him?!~  
  
Xelloss walked toward her with slow, fluid steps. Like a cat. The small fire disappeared into smoke as he stepped over it, walking toward the sorceress with his dagger ready. Darkness flooded the area.  
  
When Xelloss was only a few steps away, Lina backed up. She had her eyes on him all the time, refusing to look away. She stepped back, he stepped forward until Lina backed up against a tree.  
  
Xelloss was up close and personal now, only inches away. He slid the dagger to her throat. Lina felt the sharp edge of the dagger and she swallowed.   
  
"I was sent to kill you. Of course, I'm sure you already knew that." Xelloss remarked.  
  
"Yeah, I'm not stupid! Get it over with," Lina spat, glaring. It sounded like a challenge.  
  
There was a pause. "Aren't you going to resist?" he asked curiously.  
  
She stared at him, feeling something well up in her...even with the dagger's edge at her throat, she could speak easily.   
  
"No."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I can't fly as fast as you can teleport. You're not worth wasting the energy anyway. So what's the use?" Lina replied bitterly.   
  
They stared at each other, silence...  
  
"After all the times I double-crossed you...You knew this day would come, didn't you, Lina?" Xelloss asked.  
  
~I hoped...I prayed it wouldn't.~ she clenched her fists.  
  
"I knew." that was all she could say.   
  
"You should have gotten rid of me--or TRIED to have gotten rid of me before then!" Xelloss said logically, smiling like it was a casual moment.   
  
"Sorry," Lina snapped sarcastically. "I'm not too good at killing companions."  
  
"... ..." Xelloss just smiled, really not knowing what to say.  
  
~Open your eyes...~ Lina thought, trying to pierce through his closed eyes with her ruby-red ones. ~Damn it, just open your eyes!~  
  
"Aren't you afraid to die, Lina?" he asked.  
  
Lina felt tears well up in her eyes as he asked that question. She tried to blink the tears away, but they just slid down her cheeks and to her chin where they spilled into her shirt.  
  
Xelloss was overwhelmed by the tears, trying to understand Lina's mixed feelings...She was scared...angry...impatient...hurt...he couldn't understand...  
  
She just nodded, not trusting her voice.  
  
Silent crying...  
  
The worst form of weeping. You were so overwhelmed with emotions that you couldn't sob or make noise.  
  
Xelloss felt a rip through his chest that made him frown.  
  
~What in the seven hells?~ Xelloss thought.   
  
A pain in his chest...? By emotion? Impossible!! The only known organ in his chest was his heart...his heart...that thing has been gathering dust for years!   
  
...why was it reacting now? Who was making his heart beat faster and make him feel this strange, foreign emotions...? Wait a second...WHO?  
  
His heart always did warm up or swell up...when he looked at...Lina Inverse...  
  
Then the realization hit him---hard.  
  
~NO!! No no no!~ Xelloss whined in thought. ~this was not supposed to happen! Falling in LOVE?! No fair! Damn heart! It's just trying to spite me after all these years I ignored it!!~  
  
"What are you waiting for, Xelloss?" Lina asked, her voice a soft whisper because if she raised her voice any higher, she knew Xelloss would hear her voice crack from the tears  
  
He stared at her, his smile disappearing. What WAS he waiting for...? Nothing. He...SHOULD kill her. But how can you kill someone you...love?  
  
Xelloss was overwhelmed by this human-like emotion. His grip on the dagger loosened.  
  
This feeling of...love...weird word...love...it was going to take time to get used to that word. Hate, malice, cheat--those were his usual words. But LOVE...Xelloss was horrified of it, yet...it was thrilling! He was surprised, excited, worried, terrified and anticipant all at the same time!---only Lina could make him feel that way. Now, after all the times he's been with her, after all the opportunities he could have been with her and more than a friend...NOW he understood what he felt for her.  
  
"Can ya just get it over with and kill me?!" Lina exclaimed, her legs like jelly now. She couldn't stand this! It was like torture! It was bad enough knowing that you were going die!   
  
He slowly opened his eyes. His amethyst eyes locked onto Lina's ruby eyes.  
  
She froze, her body became stiff like ice. Secrets seemed to flood out of his eyes but there was only one important deep secret that Lina saw...and it was just about her...the secret was about her...it was for her...it was...  
  
"Xell...?" Lina murmured questionably, but she trailed off, staring in the depthless violet eyes. Her legs hardly could withstand her light weight.  
  
"Forgive me, Lina." Xelloss said as he gripped the dagger tightly in his hand.  
  
She shut her eyes tightly.   
  
~Damn you, Xelloss..!~ she thought as a single tear slipped down her cheek. ~No...I'm the fool...I'm in love with someone who can't love me back...great job, Lina Inverse...~ she thought bitterly. ~This is what you get for loving that damn mazoku Xelloss...so...so why can't I stop loving him now...? I still..I still do...Shut up! It doesn't matter now anyway!~ She took in her last breath, cherishing it...  
  
The dagger was thrown to the ground, useless as the blade was deeply embedded in the soil. White gloved hands fell upon Lina's shoulders, she opened her eyes in surprise but everything became a quick blur as Xelloss's lips captured hers...Her whole body tensed up, but...  
  
She felt fireworks of fulfillment...tranquility...love...she knew it was a true kiss even though this really was one of the rare kisses she ever got in her life.  
  
She relaxed, her eyes fluttering to a close. She kissed him back and her hands moved up from her sides and rested lightly on his chest.  
  
Xelloss was surprised by the wonderful sensation of fulfilling tranquility as he kissed her, but he was even more surprised when she kissed back. One hand move down her arm and around her waist, pulling her closer and his other hand caressed the side of her face and slid down, cupping her chin with three graceful fingers as he tilted her head a bit upwards, kissing her more passionately.  
  
Xelloss opened his eyes a notch, seeing Lina's eyes closed and her long eyelashes. She was enjoying this as much as he was. He smiled through the kiss and closed his eyes again.  
  
After quite a while, the kiss slowly broke apart. Xelloss saw Lina's eyes fluttered open. He smiled at her.   
  
Lina was welcomed by Xelloss's true genuine smile...she blushed slightly.  
  
"That was surprisingly...incredible." Xelloss remarked.  
  
"Yeah," Lina smiled slowly, her eyes reflecting the love that Xelloss had for her. "It was sure better than dying."   
  
Xelloss laughed, but hecaught Lina in a tight embrace, his arms enclosing around her. His warmth was enveloping her as she sank into him.   
  
~I feel...~ Xelloss thought carefully while he felt these feelings of his. ~I feel...contented...after 1000 years...no, wait...after 1014 years, I feel...contented. My, my, I am learning a lot of words tonight. First, LOVE. Now, CONTENTED.~ he smiled. Lina is a charm.  
  
~Mazoku can love...~ Lina thought with a smile. ~Filia will be the first one I tell---I have to see her face! she pictured Filia staring at her with wide eyes and her mouth hanging open. She smiled more.  
  
"I wonder what my master will say..." Xelloss murmured.  
  
"You mean Zellas? Maybe if we give her enough wine, then she'll accept me." Lina suggested. She wouldn't let Xelloss go...not now...not ever...  
  
"True...actually, that does sound like a very good idea..." Xelloss mused as he absently gently curled Lina's red hair around his finger.  
  
"You know, Xelloss..." Lina started slowly.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"It's disgusting how much I love you." Lina remarked with a playful smile, smelling fresh autumn scents upon his clothing. She sank into his warmness and never wanted to let go.  
  
"My thoughts exactly, Lina." Xelloss chuckled.  
  
Xelloss smiled, holding her tighter. He didn't realize how much he needed Lina...and for all the rest of his trickster days, he was not going to take the time with her for granted as he did before when he put her into so much trouble. Of course...putting her in trouble and helping her WAS fun...he'd have to take that fact into consideration. ^_^  
  
  
  
"Awwww! That is the SWEETEST thing!" Zellas exclaimed as she popped into chibi-form and sighed happily as she watched Lina and Xelloss in her small crystalline mirror.   
  
"What kinda mazoku are you anyway, Zellas? You're not supposed to care about LOVE." Luna remarked.  
  
"HEY! You're talking to the Beastmaster, so watch it! Anyway, love and hate are all the same to me! Just look how happy Xelloss is!! He's all grown up now!!" Zellas wiped away a tear like a mother. "It's time I let my little trickster-boy go!" *sniff sniff!*  
  
"It looks like our plan to match those two up worked." Luna remarked.  
  
"Mm hmm!" Zellas nodded. "And let me remind you, it was MY brilliant idea. I knew Xelloss wouldn't kill her. Just LOOK at those two!! AWW!" Zellas popped into chibi-form again and played with the floating pink hearts around her. She grabbed onto one and floated in mid-air.   
  
Luna just rolled her eyes, but she smiled warmly as she saw how genuine the happiness between Xelloss and Lina was, "It's about time my little sister Lina found out her love for Xelloss. If I wasn't her sister, Lina would never find out. Oh, she's so lucky! HAHAHAHA!" Luna laughed smugly and happily.  
  
Zellas just sweat-dropped and remarked, "I kinda felt sorry that she had a sister like you..."   
  
Luna stopped laughing and immediately glared, "You know, it's a shame that if they get married, I'll have to be related to you, Zellas! "   
  
"I'll PRETEND I didn't hear that!" Zellas growled. 


End file.
